Be Still My Foolish Heart
by InjuredMoonDance
Summary: Izumi wasn't used to this kind of things, the chandeliers, the champagne, the people dancing with each other with a string quartet playing every song they knew with the utmost care showing them the rhythm. It's easy to get lost in the middle of the novelty, especially when before she realized she was falling into something she might even get used to.


Izumi's heart fluttered in her chest she passed her hands over the detailed embroider over the fabric of her long dark green dress feeling the detail of the skirt. With the exception of a few familiar faces, everything else around her was unknown, the people twirling around and talking amongst themselves with familiarity like if it was some sort of secret club revived old forgotten feelings.

It was her first time attending an event of that kind in her entire life, especially ever since Toshinori Yagi had decided to take her under his tutelage, and while the tall, muscular man called the attention on his own, Izumi felt eyes on her as she was walking on the room. It was nearly like being a newfound rabbit caught in the hands of a child who eagerly showed to his friends.

"Don't be so nervous Midoriya, they'll like you, I know it" The older man smiled with enthusiasm giving the nervous young woman a pat in the back.

"I hope so" She tried to smile, instead her eyebrows furrowed, ending up in an awkward gesture on her freckled face.

"Well, if they don't it's their lost. After all, you are the person who will continue with my legacy" Toshinori added, Izumi gave him a single nod.

Toshinori had built himself a reputation, no one was sure they knew his family or if he even had come from a prominent home like the majority of the people in there. He had built a name on the science, making ground breaking discoveries not only in math or physics, but also in medicine. And not content with that he had become a beloved friend of the royal family and many others ensuring scientists less known than him could get enough funds to carry on with their own research.

She had admired him since she was a child growing up with her mother who taught her how to write and the bare minimum knowledge in math the woman had. Unable to attend school like the majority of the boys did Izumi settled for going to the library from early in the morning until it closed trying to comprehend every bit of knowledge she could stumble upon.

She was lucky enough to cross her path with Toshinori and him take notice of her intellect before inviting her to his workplace and allow her to learn from him for three years before he told her it was time she knew all the people who could end up investing on any research she did. It had taken quite a lot to ease her own nerves enough for her to go, and a little more to convince her mother it was a good idea.

"Do you know all these people?" Izumi questioned

"Some of them better than others" Toshinori admitted sheepishly. Izumi smiled before putting one strand of her short green hair behind her ear paying closer attention to her surroundings.

The first people Toshinori introduced her to were the Aizawa marriage composed by Emi and her husband Shota. At first, Izumi was surprised by the striking differences between their personalities, while she was openly laughing and trying to strike conversation with her upon their introduction Shota had a frown on his face and with his dark hair carefully tied back gave him an almost intimidating appearance. Even what they were wearing was almost on opposite ends of the spectrum, his clothes were all black with the exception of the shirt he was wearing which was gray; she on the other hand had a flamboyant green and orange dress which combined with her light green hair. Izumi found it nearly funny how Emi seemed to try to fix her husband's tie while he tried to hold a conversation with Toshinori about his daughter and what she was like and how they were in search of a governess. Izumi contemplated the possibility of offering herself realizing she needed to first talk it with her mother and Toshinori about it.

Next, Toshinori introduced her to Rumi Usagiyama and the person accompanying her seemed to be somewhere looking for a waiter who had food on his tray. The woman with white long hair and tanned complexion was rather rough but still kind and was quick to offer advice to Izumi telling her to not care what the people said.

After almost an hour of introductions and quick conversations, Izumi was struggling to learn the names of everyone she had crossed upon trying to associate it with something of their appearance or their personalities.

"I need to attend some businesses; would you be alright on your own?" Toshinori voice called her attention.

"Of course, please, go ahead" She lied smiling somewhat awkwardly begging he wouldn't notice the nervous trembling of her hand, he seemed to believe her because he gave her a pat on the back and a supportive smile before going with someone he had previously introduced her to whose name she couldn't recall.

Her first idea was to go with the Todorokis, the family seemed to have a son her age and she would have, had it not be for the fact he seemed to be accompanying a tall girl with dark hair and Izumi didn't wish to be the third wheel for someone she didn't know. Her second option was to begin wondering around, which is what she decided to do in the hopes of finding something at least interesting enough to call her attention or someone who took mercy on her and decided she was worthy of a conversation.

After a couple minutes of walking around and trying to memorize the detail of the paintings that adorned the otherwise plain colored room, Izumi wasn't sure what her feet stumbled upon, all that she was aware was that suddenly she was no longer standing. She closed her eyes waiting for the embarrassment and the inevitable impact that never came. Instead, she felt like if she was being held midair, slowly, she opened her eyes with her face bright red finding a suit in front of her with a bright pink bowtie which upon further scanning belonged to a boy with brown hair longer than usual. bright brown eyes and a round face smiling at her with empathy as he helped her stand up.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, sir" Izumi stated, face bright red

"It was no inconvenience. I'm always glad to help someone in need, my name is Ocharou Uraraka" He held her until she stood up straight, adjusting her hair behind her ear and curtsying, he returned the gesture bowing.

"Izumi Midoriya" She smiled, "Thank you for not letting me fall" the pink on her face had not subdued and the light of the chandeliers allowed her to see he was on a similar condition, except his cheeks had a nearly natural pink tonality.

"Well, it would have been quite unfortunate, right?" Uraraka smiled empathetic "So, what are you doing here?" He questioned taking two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and giving one to Izumi, realizing the possible interpretation of his words "I'm sorry if I came out as rude, it is not my intention, really. It's just that in all the time I've come here… Well, it's not every day we see a new, pretty girl around here" Izumi was lost in his rambling blinking a couple times perplexed at the fact he had called her pretty.

"I'm just here invited by Mister Toshinori" She pointed at the man who still seemed too focused on his conversation to notice her slip, something she is grateful for.

"Oh, you must be you are his new protegee" His face was bright with realization as he pointed at her with a finger.

"New?" She questioned raising a curious eyebrow.

"Well, not new as there was one before, no. More like, new as in no one has ever heard of her before" He resolved, warm smile on his face.

"Oh, and is that bad?"

"Certainly not, not for you at least. Normally when someone is talked about it either means they did something exceptionally good or exceptionally bad" Uraraka said beginning to walk inviting her to do the same. "Have you met anyone yet?"

"Well, I met the Todoroki family, and the Aizawas and miss Usagiyama…"

"Mrs." Uraraka interrupted, quickly realizing the involuntary and quick pout on Izumi's face "Sorry for interrupting you, but Rei Usagiyama is already married, she just decided to keep her maiden name and her husband doesn't seem to mind. Don't worry, it's a common mistake, she is not quite open about the fact she is married after all, she says it's because she doesn't want people referring to her husband or her husband's family when talking to or about her"

"Oh" Izumi could understand the point of view of the woman.

"You seem to have met a large amount of people" He tried to carry the conversation

"I have tried to memorize more names in these two hours than in my entire life" She giggled.

"So is the life of the newly introduced" He shrugged "Tell me about you, who are you, where are you from?" Uraraka questioned, smile on his face which made Izumi's freckled cheeks return to a pink color.

"Well, I'm not from around here. I grew up in the edge of the town with my mom. I learnt to read when I was three and tried to learn as much as possible before I crossed with Mr. Toshinori and he decided to tutor me in all matters he deemed important, and now here I am, tripping on my own two feet while surrounded by people I don't know" She related.

"You must be exceptionally smart if Toshinori himself decided to tutor you. You should be proud of yourself" He congratulated, smile on his face.

"Well, I try" She shrugged embarrassed by the sudden congratulations "How about you, what can you tell me about yourself, sir?"

"No need to call me sir. I have a feeling we are the same age. Twenty one?" He raised an eyebrow pointing at her, Izumi nodded, "Excellent. What can I tell you about me. Like you grew up in a rather impoverished part of the town but when I was ten years old my father made some very fortunate business decisions and now he is the exclusive designer people go to when they want to remodel their marble rooms. He designed this one for example" Uraraka claimed, Izumi paid attention to everything, from the stairs that opened on both sides to the bar underneath them making the marble floor nearly occupied only by dancers providing a space for the musicians on one side of the room between pillars.

"It is beautiful" Izumi noted looking at the chandelier above them.

"I'll let him know you think that" He smiled.

There was a quiet comfort between them, with none daring to mutter a word while Izumi looked around and Uraraka from time to time trying not to get caught or step between any of the dancing couples. Then, for a split second the musicians paused the music and she found Uraraka extending his gloved hand at her, blush on his face.

"Would you like to dance, miss Midoriya?" He tried, she smiled shy.

"I'd love to" She responded putting her gloved hand over his own, letting him carry her to the dance floor.

She adjusted herself to him feeling his hand on her waist and placing her own on his shoulder feeling the music of the violins fill her ears.

"I must admit" She muttered as he swayed her at the rhythm of the music, moving from side to side trapped on their own little world "I'm new to all of this, so I've never danced with someone before"

"No one ever asked you to dance before?" There was genuine disbelief in his voice.

"Not really no. But I think it's more than a 'never been to a dance before' situation" She admitted moving one step forward following his step back before the both of them began to spin around the ballroom in swift motions.

"Oh, that." He nodded "I can understand you. My first ball was when I was sixteen, I was a nervous mess and I had to dance with a girl I had never seen in my life before, a lifetime of dancing lessons does little to nothing to actually prepare you for dancing with someone. But if it serves as any consolation, you are already far better than me, especially for a first time" He related, smiling at the memory

"How is that?" The hand who held her own lifted and now she was the only one spinning as he let go of her waist, she ended by his side, apart by the length of both their arms before he held her close once again and their hand was back where it had begun.

"No one has seen my undergarments and we both are standing" He confessed, cheeks pink with embarrassment.

"It could not have been like that" She tried smiling with sweetness.

"Sadly, it was. The girl still hates me, not that I blame her of course" He put both arms on her waist and lifted her from the ground for a spare second, yet, the surprise of the sudden movement made her let out a small yelp.

"Well, you seem to have improved a lot" She complimented while he let her down noticing how he smiled amused.

"I don't think so no. I just think I finally figured out what my father told me after my first lesson" She felt him let go off her waist, to give her a small turn.

"Which is?" She wondered. Now he was only holding her by the waist, close to his side as he leaned to her ear making her cheeks turn out a bright pink

"Dancing is more finding the perfect partner than about yourself" Her cheeks turned bright red and she blinked a couple times to adjust herself as he returned her to the initial position before the music stopped.

She felt out of breath, and a genuine smile made its way to her face, as he returned the smile at her and she laughed, a sweet melodic laugh came out of her. Just then she noticed him extending his hand to her and inviting her to a second dance. She reached for it and held it tight, he put her hand on her waist once again and they swung to the song.

This one was slower, they moved in a single space on the dancefloor and the spins were significantly lesser than the previous dance, yet, she felt the exact same way. Like if the air had been lifted out of her lungs and somehow pushed back inside filling her with some unfamiliar yet welcoming bliss. He lifted her for a spare second, just enough for her dress to swing in the air before letting her on the floor once again and returning to the music until it was over. No one of them moved when that happened, allowing themselves to stand still and close to each other while to world around them turned.

"You know" He began still holding tightly onto her in the middle of the ballroom while the musicians moved onto another piece "My father also designed the balcony, I could show it to you, if you want of course" His eyes were focused on the floor.

To this, Izumi raised a suspicious and amused eyebrow while a smile crept to her face.

"I wouldn't want to miss something as beautifully crafted as this room." He offered her his hand for her to hold onto, she took it as he walked her up the staircase until she encountered herself in front of soft pink curtains while he opened the glass doors.

Uraraka guided her amongst the people while she held onto his arm. This time the glances directed at her inspired less fear than before, now it was almost like if she was immune to them. He walked her up the staircase until she encountered herself in front of soft pink curtains letting go of him while he opened the glass doors that let outside and closed them behind as soon as both had stepped outside.

"It is beautiful" She mumbled in awe, glancing down at the garden lit by the lamps and the moonlight there was a small sofa, but despite the tiredness of her feet she decided to focus on the world that was now laying ahead of her.

"It is" Uraraka agreed focusing on the freckles of her face.

None of them knew how to start a conversation, so they sunk on the silence of the moment. He stepped closer to her, not quite touching her and trying to focus on anything that wouldn't make it too obvious his entire attention was solely on her.

"You know" Izumi smiled "I never imagined that in my life I would get to be alone with a boy who had no desire to threaten my life" A chill ran down Uraraka's spine as he blinked a couple times perplexed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, not a big deal really. A boy I thought to be my friend turned to not be so friendly after all and decided the best way to push me away from where everyone played was to scare me away. I'm too embarrassed to admit that it worked" She mumbled, yet, her expression didn't fall.

"Well, what an asshole" He stablished, the choice of words surprised her, how it resonated against the formality of the language he had used during the night. "Who wouldn't want you around? I've been by your side by a little longer than an hour and I already dread the moment you must eventually leave" The choice of words tinted his cheeks red. "I mean, you are very nice and kind who why wouldn't he want you around… I mean…"

Only then he realized how close they were to each other. She was surprised of what he was saying when she realized how short the distance between them was, trying to give one step backwards to not risk the fact people would see him and talk badly about him or Toshinori who had invited her she gave a step back only to trip leaving it to held her by the waist nearly bringing her into an embrace never moving his brown eyes from her green eyes.

"We could get caught" She mumbled.

"Maybe." He agreed. "Do you want to return to the party?" His eyes seemed worried about her wellbeing. She moved her head from side to side. His lips made contact with hers for a brief second, but it was enough to send her head spinning.

"I'm really sorry" He claimed, his face was bright red and he was covering it with his hands. "I don't know what came over me, you just looked so pretty here under the moonlight, I couldn't help it. I'm sorry, I shall leave immediately. Goodb…"

"No!" She interrupted his rambling grabbing his arm, uncovering his face "No, don't be ashamed. It was nice" She smiled kind, her own cheeks tinted in pink, putting her gloved hand over her lips for a spare second recalling the contact like if it had happened a long time ago.

"I'm glad" He let out relieved. "I wouldn't want to cause you any inconvenience"

"You won't. Thank you" She muttered leaning against the edge, turning her back to him

"What for?" He leaned next to her, focusing his eyes entirely on her while she looked at the garden ahead of her

"Keeping me company the majority of the night; and dancing with me"

"I should be the one that's thankful" He said leaning a step closer to her, freezing when she laid her head on him "I still haven't quite gotten the trick to these kind of events and my reputation as a skirt lifter precedes me to the point no lady wants to get with me in a distance shorter than ten feet. I was lucky enough the cutest girl in the room arrived as a green haired angel and agreed to accompany me to the balcony" She couldn't see it, but his face was bright red matching hers, unused to the array of compliments.

"Ocharou…" She broke apart from him, eyes wide open leaning a step closer to him until she could nearly feel his chest rise and fall alongside his rhythm.

"Oh, here you are miss Midoriya" the familiar monotone voice of Shoto Todoroki made her face turn bright red before she broke apart from Ocharou who was in a similar condition to her, the teasing smile on Shoto's lips didn't go amiss to the young couple "Toshinori is looking for you, he says it's time for the both of you to leave"

Izumi nodded, giving the brunette a quick peck on the cheek before joining Shoto's side, leaving Ocharou behind with one hand remaining on his cheek.

She walked alongside Shoto, until both of them found Toshinori who gave a quick courteous goodbye to the people he was talking to promising to continue whatever conversation they were having sometime soon. As they were leaving, she turned to Shoto who put an index finger over his mouth and smiled knowingly while she spelt a silent thank you. Izumi followed Toshinori to the carriage hearing him talk about how it was important for them to leave at that hour to be in time for her curfew, so her mother wouldn't worry about her wellbeing, Izumi nodded listening to his every word.

When she stepped into the carriage, she nearly felt like falling asleep despite the occasional bump the carriage stepped into. Toshinori began to talk about curtesy and congratulating her on her behavior and how all of the people he had introduced her to seemed to have left with a good opinion on her until he realized her eyes were slowly closing.

"I saw you dancing with the son of Hakaku Uraraka, did you have fun?" Toshinori's question took her out of her somnolent stupor. She didn't realize his teasing smile.

"It was nice" She yawned "I had a great time talking with him, and he was quite a good dancer too"

"Was he?"

"Yes. Hopefully I'll meet him again on the next ball" She admitted, slowly closing her eyes and lying her head against the carriage's window.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A week had gone by since the event, and although she had continued her life as usual, doing her assignments and trying to absorb as much as it was thrown her way, she still found herself thinking of Ocharou from time to time, having what her mother described as 'The first sign of a wonderful downward spiral'. She couldn't fully understand what the older woman meant, so she just smiled whenever she commented on it.

One morning she had arrived earlier from her lessons, even before the midday sun shone above her head.

"There is a letter for you on the table" Her mother commented as soon as she greeted her, Izumi frowned for a second, the only letters she had ever received where those that came every few months when her father communicated with her, and that letter wasn't supposed to arrive until October.

She walked to the kitchen taking the envelop with the waxed seal between her fingers. Immediately upon her eyes scanned the signature outside of the letter and identified the familiar name the fluttering in her heart returned. Glancing at her mother, she walked in hurried steps to her bedroom closing the door behind herself. Careful, she opened it scanning the content with her eyes without actually reading it memorizing the handwriting style and the name of the sender.

"Izumi, there is a young man looking for you" The voice of her mother threw her attention back to the world beyond the letter she carefully placed on her desk.

Izumi walked down the stairs with curiosity, unused to the visitations of people her mother couldn't name. From above she couldn't see the face of the visitor until he removed the top hat, then she held her breath for a bare second and her steps down the stairs became slower. He then, looked up and with rosy cheeks smiled at her making her wonder if he was just as nervous as she was.

When her feet touched the bottom of the stairs he bowed in front of her

"My lady" He greeted 'I'm not a lady' she wanted to correct him, but she couldn't find the strength to do so.

"My lord. What an unexpected surprise to find you here" She commented curtsying letting him kiss her bare hand.

"I may have found my way here" Ocharou smiled sheepish, Izumi thought she'd seen an unusual glint of mischief on his eyes that seemed to grin at her, she returned the gesture, smiling warmly.

"How rude of me" The voice of Izumi's mother brought the young pair out of their stupor. "I haven't offered you anything young man, is there anything you'd like? Maybe a cup of tea or a piece of cake?" The woman suggested, the young pair didn't remove the eyes off each other.

"I actually came here with a request in mind" Only then, Ocharou turned his eyes to the woman. "If it's okay for you madam, can I take your daughter on a stroll around town, you see, I'm new here and I could use a little company who could show me around. That is, of course, if she wants to go as well" Both females opened their eyes wide, Izumi at the fact that he wished to go with her around town and Inko due to the surprise of having a boy asking for her daughter. Ocharou stared at them, eyes filled with hope and rosy cheeks.

It was clear to Izumi that her mother wasn't really sure on how to respond, she turned to her with pleading, hopeful eyes, noticing the woman let out a sigh as soon as she saw the expression on her daughter's eyes.

"Will she be safe? she has lessons she needs to attend"

"I promise you I'll take care the upmost care of her safety" Ocharou promised giving a single nod to the woman, who surrendered.

"Very well, you may go Izumi" A huge smile made its way to Izumi's face as she took Ocharou's arm when he offered. Her face was red and the fluttering of her heart was even louder than before, yet, she remained hopeful.

"We'll be back early, don't worry madam" He smiled at the woman and then to Izumi, the smile he gave her was distinctly different.

"Have fun you two" The woman recommended with her voice as worried as usual. Izumi glanced at Ocharou before giving a fast, goodbye hug to her mother. Suddenly, the homework waiting for her next to the letter in her desk seemed a little less relevant now.


End file.
